
Alejandro still leader
Alejandro still leader in Andalucia
He finished the 2nd in Ubrique
Frenchman Jonathan Hivert was the only one to be faster than Alejandro on the finishing line in Ubrique and the Spaniard remains first overall.
“We’ve got to be satisfied because, even though we couldn’t win the stage, we’re still in the lead, and after all the work from the team that is the important thing”, told the Spaniar after he crossed the finishing line in Ubrique. We set the pace all day with Imanol and Iván and then into the climb with Rojas and Plaza before Nairo splitted things up. At the final descent, Astana had a majority of riders and took command before the sprint. I didn’t know the final slope, and though I had good legs, Hivert was smart and timed his attack perfectly. I hesitated for a moment and after that, it was impossible to chase him down – I can only congratulate him for the win, he deserved it. Only two days left, but there are so many riders in such a short margin. Tuesday’s stage is hard, but Wednesday’s is pretty much infamous. I feel strong, the team does too – but everything can happen until the end.”